The present invention relates to an improvement for mailboxes, particularly metal mailboxes used by homeowners in rural areas.
Rural mailboxes approved by the U.S. Postal Service conventionally are made of metal with a rectangular horizontal base, a curved top and side section, a closed rear end and an open front end. A hinged door is pivoted near the horizontal base with a latch at its top which, when the door is closed against the open front end of the box, couples with a matching latch on the top of the front end of the box. These boxes are usually located along the road some distance from the owner's house.
The rural mailbox usually receives mail delivered by a mailcarrier during daylight hours. But when the homeowner is employed away from home the box is often checked for mail during the hours of darkness. When the box is opened to determine whether it contains envelopes, post cards or small packages when it is dark or gloomy, it is difficult to quickly and accurately determine whether all the delivered mail is being removed from the box. It is impossible to visually check the contents of the rural mailbox when it is gloomy or during the hours of darkness.
Even when the rural mailbox is illuminated by a nearby street light or the headlights of an automobile, the interior of the box is literally a black hole. Thus the person checking the box for mail is unable to visually determine the contents of the box during late evening or early morning hours.
To permit the owners of mailboxes which are often emptied during the hours of darkness to visually inspect the contents of their mailboxes, I have invented apparatus for lighting the interior of a conventional rural mailbox.
Since most mailboxes are located at a point where conventional 110 volt alternating electric current is not readily available, my apparatus is powered by a pair of 1.5 volt AA dry cell batteries which are protected from the rain and weather by a polyvinyl (PVC) case located beneath the mailbox.
Light to the inside of the box is supplied by an incandescent lamp mounted in a socket attached to the roof of the mailbox. Electricity is fed to the lamp by a pushbutton on-off switch conveniently mounted on the latch which secures the box cover in closed position. Thus when the person desiring to check the box for mail grasps the latch to open the box he will also push the button on the switch to turn on the lamp and illuminate the interior of the mailbox.
Then when the contents of the box have been removed and the person is assured by visual inspection that the box is now empty, the person closes the box cover and again pushes the switch button to turn off the lamp.